1. The tragic dim of the shining star

"And the best actress award goes to…" the man on the stage paused, and scanned the stars occupying the seats before him. Everyone held their breaths, anticipation brimming in their eyes, waiting patiently for the announcement of the best actress of the year in this prestigious gathering of stars.

"Heaven Liu!!"

A round of applause exploded in the venue as soon as the man announced the name of who won the award. Some audiences turned their heads in Heaven Liu's direction, a rising star who had been making headlines in the past months.

Heaven Liu, the woman sitting at the far back, covered her lips in surprise. Her heart was racing, overwhelmed by this win. Her phoenix eyes shone beautifully as a layer of tears instantly coated her eyes.

Heaven looked around her, only to see people in the industry clapping for her. The host continued to speak his piece while the screen showed the film Heaven starred.

'This is…' Heaven mustered her courage to stand despite the overwhelming feeling that had filled her chest. The applause continued while she marched to the stage to receive the award.

Heaven was a rookie star. She competed against veteran actresses who have been in the industry for decades. Therefore, being nominated in the same category as them was already an honor. Who would have thought she would win?

"Congratulations, Miss Heaven." The host congratulated her with a big smile, handing her the acrylic trophy before giving the stage to her.

Standing in the middle of the stage with the spotlight on her, her beauty stood out. Everyone could tell she looked overwhelmed, but a beauty like her, bearing such a reaction, melted many hearts.

"I…" her lips quivered and her voice cracked. "I want to thank everyone who believed in me and congratulations to those who got nominated. Honoring me with a nomination and putting me in the same category as those I look up to and idolize, I am truly thankful."

The smile in the crowd widened, especially those who lost the category. Although most of the nominated candidates were established artists, they accepted the fact that they lost to a rookie without any bitterness.

Why would they?

This young actress who just recently rose to fame with the first film she starred in was not only a talented actress but also a humble young lady. The film she did had a low budget, but it became a blockbuster.

"Lastly, I want to…" Heaven shifted her gaze to the camera and lifted her trophy. "... thank my dad for his support. He is surely watching right now, so Dad, your daughter won an award!"

A drop of tears escaped her eyes as she laughed at her last sentence. The crowd also laughed with her before another round of applause exploded in the air. Following that award, Heaven received a series of congratulations from her fellow artists, other companies, agencies, and from fans.

Everyone was expecting her career to take off — to skyrocket to another higher level than the one she had. Heaven was also hopeful.

However, receiving that award was the first and last good thing that happened to her.

*

*

*

*

*

FIVE YEARS LATER…

"Dad…" Heaven sat on the edge of the bed, holding a photo frame under the dimness of the room. Unlike the beautiful eyes she had carried five years ago that brimmed with life, they were now a pair of empty eyes.

Heaven caressed the portrait with her fingertips, gulping down the tension that was building in her throat. She had this urge to cry — to sob, but alas, she couldn't. She couldn't shed another tear because she had been crying in her heart for the past five years.

"I missed you so much, Dad," came out a quiet voice.

Five years ago, Heaven won the best actress award. She celebrated this milestone with everyone attending the after-party. Little did she know, while she was partying, her father was fighting for his life.

That was only one of the worst because the next morning, she woke up in the arms of a man she never met in her life. She didn't have time to think about it because the news about her father's passing reached her.

That was the start of how her life spiraled out of control, and now, here she was.

Five years later, Heaven was married to a man she didn't love just because they have a child she didn't also want. She left her career to become a housewife. Housewife… something she never dreamed of being.

"I am… a failure, am I, Dad?" a ridiculing dry laugh slipped past her lips, placing down the frame to her side. Heaven bent over to reach for the drawer on the bedside table, taking out a bottle of pills she purchased a week ago.

When she straightened her back, her eyes remained on the bottle pill in her hand. They said taking enough of these pills in one go was an instant kill.

"I've endured five years," she whispered, gripping the bottle even tighter. "I cannot anymore."

Heaven opened the lid and poured as much pill into her other hand. She gulped, eyes brimming with determination. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she reopened them, she raised her hand to her lips.

However, just as her lips parted, and was about to shove the pills into her mouth, she threw them away. Her face crumpled in dismay, eyes bloodshot in anger. Despite the darkness of her room, she could see the pills scattered on the floor.

She couldn't do it.

Heaven tried to take her life countless times in the past five years. But alas, she always stopped at the last second — just when she thought her determination wouldn't wane.

"I hate you…" she muttered through her gritted teeth. "I hate you, Heaven. I hate you."

Tears brimmed her eyes as she covered her face with her palms. She hated herself. She hated herself after that after-party five years ago. Heaven could've stayed beside her father that night, but she chose to celebrate and party.

If only she came home that night, she wouldn't be married now and she probably wouldn't have regrets. However, no amount of regrets could change the past. What was done was done, and she should move on, but Heaven couldn't move on.

Thus, she was stuck in regret for the past five years, hating herself, her life, her family, and everything.

Heaven sobbed quietly as she crawled onto the bed, hugging her father's photo. She lay on her side, curling herself into a ball.

This had been a habit she picked up five years ago. She would try to kill herself, only to stop, and then cry herself to sleep.

Heaven was miserable.

It took her hours to stop the tears, still hiccuping. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her eyes sore and heavy.

'I really should get myself together,' she told herself, gazing at the wall. Usually, she would sleep right after crying. But for some reason, her brain wouldn't let her.

'It was already past midnight,' she thought, feeling the dryness of her throat. Heaven didn't like seeing anyone in this house. At this time, everyone was already sleeping so she could freely get a glass of water to quench her thirst.

But just as Heaven rolled on her back to get out of bed, her eyes went wide. Someone was standing on the other side of the bed. Her room was dark, but she could feel the intense, murderous gaze cast upon her.

"Who —" The rest of her words rolled back to her throat as the person's hand suddenly covered her mouth, jumping on top of her. Heaven tried to scream, but her voice was muffled. Her breath hitched when the person's other hand wrapped around her neck.

"Mhmm!!" Her eyes popped open, feeling the hand tighten around her neck. She struggled as much as she could — something that surprised her since she had always wished for death, but now that death came to her, she was struggling to live.

"Mhm!!" Let me go was what she wanted to say, but everything sounded muffled. Soon, her head felt heavy as the blood circulation stopped. Her struggle grew stronger until they turned weaker and weaker.

'Dad…' her eyes dropped heavily as her grip on the person's arm lost strength. '... Basti, I'm sorry.'

Her consciousness slowly waned until darkness enveloped her.

*

*

*

*

The next day, Heaven was blankly staring at the ceiling. She touched the side of her neck, still feeling the sensation of strangulation last night.

"This woman was strangled to death last night…" Heaven muttered, furrowing her brows. "... and I'm sure I died some time ago. So how in the world am I in this body?"

Episodes
1 Author's Note + Description + Book Cover
2 1. The tragic dim of the shining star
3 2. I'm alive
4 3. A bad mother and an awful wife
5 4. Mine. Now.
6 5. Something unusual in the young Madam
7 6. Meeting the husband for the first time
8 7. Let's divorce
9 8. List of suspects
10 9. No time to back out
11 10. Play dead
12 11. Nonsense
13 12. Fine
14 13. Dearest friend
15 14. Two toxic friend's reunion
16 15. Disliking me
17 16. Too much
18 17. An emergency
19 18. Grandma Zhu
20 19. Lies
21 20. Hello there, brother-in-law
22 21. Isn't that right, Hubby?
23 22. Surely, death is the only way out
24 23. A marriage built on sand
25 24. Multilingual
26 25. Does he like bread?
27 26. A small world
28 27. If you kneel and beg, I might change my mind.
29 28. Psycho
30 29. Good grief
31 30. Devil would never change his ways
32 31. Isn't it too over the top?
33 32. Finally something we have in common
34 33. First step in fixing the marriage
35 34. Can't be passive-aggressive
36 35. Operation: seduce the husband commence!
37 36. Do you think she's possessed?
38 37. You
39 38. Goodnight... not yet
40 39. You promised to keep an open mind
41 40. Sex was inevitable in marriage
42 41. Can’t help it
43 42. Third morning together
44 43. She said she was sorry
45 44. A touch of Heaven
46 45. Ten minutes
47 46. You look sexy
48 47. If you need help, asking will not hurt.
49 48. No one likes me, and that's okay
50 49. I’m not kind neither I am foolish, Heaven
51 50. Family matters
52 51. Is this normal?
53 52. Are you serious?
54 53. Console her?
55 54. Should we try it tonight?
56 55. You can’t carry me, but you can hold my hand!
57 56.
58 57. Where did everybody go?
59 58. There’s only one person who can disappear without a trace
60 59. Guilt
61 60. Made his mama proud
62 61. It’s a promise
63 62. Activity for the three of us?
64 63. She’s in danger
65 64. Karma is real.
66 65. This is better already
67 66. I am scared of me
68 67. Am I misreading you, Heaven?
69 68. Turn on
70 69. Strip tease
71 70. Just playing around
72 71+72 71. What a beautiful place to be in
73 73. I am not gentle, Heaven.
74 74. Put it on
75 75. I like it rough
76 I don’t like sharing.
77 77. Was it all a dream?
78 78. Home sick
79 79. You are not someone else
80 80. Was it because of me?
81 81. What goes around comes around
82 82. Germs
83 83. Finger licking good
84 84. Am I now having ear problems?
85 85. We?
86 86. Coming home safe was an underrated miracle
87 87. Right excuses
88 88. Being physically fit is a must
89 89+90 89. Wow, Dominic Zhu! So shameless!
90 91. Territorial
91 92. Selfie
92 93. 10M
93 94. Mommy
94 95. White and black
95 96. Hera's last mission
96 97. What a shame
97 98. Ram and Wolf
98 99+100+101 99. Such a strange name
99 102+103 102. I think she likes my husband
100 104+105 104. Touch my son and you're dead
101 106. An old flame
102 107. Deeper than six feet for sure
103 108. Fat chance!
104 109. Who is he?
105 110. OMW
106 111. Helping out
107 112+113 112. Suddenly looked like a squid
108 114. Lost my mind for a second
109 115. Dramatic
110 116. Truth slaps
111 117. Turning fall backs as opportunities
112 118. Too young to be twisted
113 119+120 119. Sharing is caring
114 121. A mother's fear
115 122.Principal's office
116 123. Be grateful your neck is still attached to your shoulders
117 124. Angry
118 125. Crazy
119 126. Something he was proud of
120 127. Head
121 128. Head II
122 129. DIRTY
123 130. DIRTY II
124 131. What could last a lifetime
125 132. Shameless
126 133. Life has a strange humor
127 134. A pot calling the kettle black
128 135. Same train of thoughts
129 136. Narrowing down to three
130 137. A collateral damage
131 138. Nice catch
132 139. Don't make a sound or I'll make you
133 140. Finish the job
134 141. Movie night
135 142. What you don’t know can't hurt you.
136 143. Welcome back, Hell
137 144. Getting to know her
138 145. Got nothing worth bargaining
139 146. The matriarch of the family
140 147. Habits
141 148. Sliver of hope
142 149. A strange turn
143 150. An ominous night
144 151. The Devil's Prelude
145 152. Dancing in the devil's tune
146 153. The scream for help
147 154. Keep it off the record
148 155. Nail in the coffin
149 156. I'll keep you safe
150 157. The first layer of the Zhu Family
151 158. Don't ever get hurt for me
152 159. Aftermath
153 160. Birds of a same feather
154 161. Clean up
155 162. Aren't you a special one?
156 163. An unwilling marionette
157 164. New place
158 165. No sense of humor
159 166 + 167 166. Brother-in-law is cute
160 168. Tangled fates will always be connected
161 169A glimpse of the bitter past VOLUME II: Crawling out of the burning sun.
162 170. Three promises
163 171. The script
164 172. I like it raw
165 173+174 173. Princess
166 175. Building rapport
167 176. Not a dumpster!
168 177. Surprise~!
169 178. Oh, Paula… this is just the beginning
170 179. The taste of her own poison
171 180. Can you give way to your best friend?
Episodes

Updated 171 Episodes

1
Author's Note + Description + Book Cover
2
1. The tragic dim of the shining star
3
2. I'm alive
4
3. A bad mother and an awful wife
5
4. Mine. Now.
6
5. Something unusual in the young Madam
7
6. Meeting the husband for the first time
8
7. Let's divorce
9
8. List of suspects
10
9. No time to back out
11
10. Play dead
12
11. Nonsense
13
12. Fine
14
13. Dearest friend
15
14. Two toxic friend's reunion
16
15. Disliking me
17
16. Too much
18
17. An emergency
19
18. Grandma Zhu
20
19. Lies
21
20. Hello there, brother-in-law
22
21. Isn't that right, Hubby?
23
22. Surely, death is the only way out
24
23. A marriage built on sand
25
24. Multilingual
26
25. Does he like bread?
27
26. A small world
28
27. If you kneel and beg, I might change my mind.
29
28. Psycho
30
29. Good grief
31
30. Devil would never change his ways
32
31. Isn't it too over the top?
33
32. Finally something we have in common
34
33. First step in fixing the marriage
35
34. Can't be passive-aggressive
36
35. Operation: seduce the husband commence!
37
36. Do you think she's possessed?
38
37. You
39
38. Goodnight... not yet
40
39. You promised to keep an open mind
41
40. Sex was inevitable in marriage
42
41. Can’t help it
43
42. Third morning together
44
43. She said she was sorry
45
44. A touch of Heaven
46
45. Ten minutes
47
46. You look sexy
48
47. If you need help, asking will not hurt.
49
48. No one likes me, and that's okay
50
49. I’m not kind neither I am foolish, Heaven
51
50. Family matters
52
51. Is this normal?
53
52. Are you serious?
54
53. Console her?
55
54. Should we try it tonight?
56
55. You can’t carry me, but you can hold my hand!
57
56.
58
57. Where did everybody go?
59
58. There’s only one person who can disappear without a trace
60
59. Guilt
61
60. Made his mama proud
62
61. It’s a promise
63
62. Activity for the three of us?
64
63. She’s in danger
65
64. Karma is real.
66
65. This is better already
67
66. I am scared of me
68
67. Am I misreading you, Heaven?
69
68. Turn on
70
69. Strip tease
71
70. Just playing around
72
71+72 71. What a beautiful place to be in
73
73. I am not gentle, Heaven.
74
74. Put it on
75
75. I like it rough
76
I don’t like sharing.
77
77. Was it all a dream?
78
78. Home sick
79
79. You are not someone else
80
80. Was it because of me?
81
81. What goes around comes around
82
82. Germs
83
83. Finger licking good
84
84. Am I now having ear problems?
85
85. We?
86
86. Coming home safe was an underrated miracle
87
87. Right excuses
88
88. Being physically fit is a must
89
89+90 89. Wow, Dominic Zhu! So shameless!
90
91. Territorial
91
92. Selfie
92
93. 10M
93
94. Mommy
94
95. White and black
95
96. Hera's last mission
96
97. What a shame
97
98. Ram and Wolf
98
99+100+101 99. Such a strange name
99
102+103 102. I think she likes my husband
100
104+105 104. Touch my son and you're dead
101
106. An old flame
102
107. Deeper than six feet for sure
103
108. Fat chance!
104
109. Who is he?
105
110. OMW
106
111. Helping out
107
112+113 112. Suddenly looked like a squid
108
114. Lost my mind for a second
109
115. Dramatic
110
116. Truth slaps
111
117. Turning fall backs as opportunities
112
118. Too young to be twisted
113
119+120 119. Sharing is caring
114
121. A mother's fear
115
122.Principal's office
116
123. Be grateful your neck is still attached to your shoulders
117
124. Angry
118
125. Crazy
119
126. Something he was proud of
120
127. Head
121
128. Head II
122
129. DIRTY
123
130. DIRTY II
124
131. What could last a lifetime
125
132. Shameless
126
133. Life has a strange humor
127
134. A pot calling the kettle black
128
135. Same train of thoughts
129
136. Narrowing down to three
130
137. A collateral damage
131
138. Nice catch
132
139. Don't make a sound or I'll make you
133
140. Finish the job
134
141. Movie night
135
142. What you don’t know can't hurt you.
136
143. Welcome back, Hell
137
144. Getting to know her
138
145. Got nothing worth bargaining
139
146. The matriarch of the family
140
147. Habits
141
148. Sliver of hope
142
149. A strange turn
143
150. An ominous night
144
151. The Devil's Prelude
145
152. Dancing in the devil's tune
146
153. The scream for help
147
154. Keep it off the record
148
155. Nail in the coffin
149
156. I'll keep you safe
150
157. The first layer of the Zhu Family
151
158. Don't ever get hurt for me
152
159. Aftermath
153
160. Birds of a same feather
154
161. Clean up
155
162. Aren't you a special one?
156
163. An unwilling marionette
157
164. New place
158
165. No sense of humor
159
166 + 167 166. Brother-in-law is cute
160
168. Tangled fates will always be connected
161
169A glimpse of the bitter past VOLUME II: Crawling out of the burning sun.
162
170. Three promises
163
171. The script
164
172. I like it raw
165
173+174 173. Princess
166
175. Building rapport
167
176. Not a dumpster!
168
177. Surprise~!
169
178. Oh, Paula… this is just the beginning
170
179. The taste of her own poison
171
180. Can you give way to your best friend?

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